Waterloo parents get help to stop bullying

By Rachel Hagenbaugh | Staff WriterPublished: March 3, 2013 4:00AM

While schools focus on advising teachers and administrators how to minimize bullying, the Waterloo Community Action Committee has been focusing on getting parents involved by providing its second seminar at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Waterloo High School media center.

The seminar, a hands-on introduction to social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, will focus on introducing parents to cyberbullying. Experts define cyberbullying as mean-spirited messages exchanged through electronic technology that includes websites, social media sites, e-mail, chat and text messages.

"Because of technology, the bullying doesn't stop at the playground anymore," said Shawn Miller, secretary for the WCAC. "It continues with you twenty-four-seven and into the summer months."

The cyberbullying seminar is a follow-up to the WCAC's Jan. 7 meeting, which attracted about 50 people and focused on defining bullying and the district's procedures on preventing it. Andrew Hill, the district's superintendent, said that a lot of parents at the meeting wanted to be more pro-active about preventing bullying at home but didn't know how to do it.

"This was the next step to helping parents, teaching them to understand how to navigate social media sites so they can monitor what their kids do and understand first-hand what's out there for their kids to get into," she said.

While regulations on a child's privacy vary from parent to parent, Hill said that this seminar will at least give them the tools to help them monitor their children's behavior so they can feel in control of what their children are doing. After the social media tutorials, community members can participate in an open forum to get more information.

Miller doesn't have a third session planned, but said if the WCAC finds that there's a need for it, the committee will continue providing that service to the community.

Residents interested in attending the seminar need to bring their login information if they have accounts on social media sites and R.S.V.P. to the WCAC on their Facebook page or email Miller at waterloocac0112@gmail.com.

Contact this reporter at 330-298-1123 or rhagenbaugh@recordpub.com

Want to leave your comments?

He needs to come to Streetsboro.
Bullying at Streetsboro has increased over the last year and most of it is due to the ineffective job the Vice Principal is doing.
Apparently Streetsboro has not read their own handbook on bullying and they also don't enforce their zero tolerance bullying.
Even though students report the bullying the district does nothing to the perpetrators. Eventually the victim finally gets tired of it and defends themselves and low and behold, the VP turns it around and makes the victim the perpetrator.
I believe this is also happening in all school districts. Once the victim is made out to be the bully since they defended themselves, teachers go on and make the matter worse by stating in front of other students beware of the bully, or we can use that student to straighten out other students.
Totally inappropriate and unprofessional behavior on the part of the staff member.
Teachers bully the students and the "Real" bully sees this so doesn't think they are bullying.
When the student defended themselves against the bully, comments started flying around on what retribution this student who defended themselves and the bully's buddies then stated what they were going to do to the victim.
Reported that to the Police and they didn't do nothing more than talk with the students. Sure enough a little over two months later, one of the students took his retribution and then stated it was an accident. Later that same student is bragging to others he got the retribution for the other bully.
Unless the staff stops their bullying and unless the VP's start going after the real culprits, bullying will never disappear but only get worse.
Martin Fleming

March 3, 2013 7:17PM

Maybe you fellas' down there could send this Miller fellow up north to the Portage County Sheriff's Office. From what I hear they have a big "bully" by the name of Major Dale "CHAOS" Kelly that has been causin alotta grief for many employees and supervises like "LITTLE HITLER"! PLEASE HELP US!